One of cinema’s most compelling characters, brought to vivid life by America’s greatest Actor, who also uttered this line:

“Sometimes, it’s not so easy being Fearless Leader.”

Here Are Three Reasons To Love Robert DeNiro, And One BIG Reason To Hate Him!

He will always be considered on of our greatest Actors, with a body of work that got our attention with “Mean Streets” and “The Godfather Part 2″…

DeNiro’s reputation was cemented with his stunning work as Travis Bickle, “God’s Lonely Man” in “Taxi Driver”, which is celebrating its 40th year by holding a special screening at DeNiro’s Tribeca film festival!

TAXI DRIVER – 1976.

Simply put, it’s a masterpiece – and more timely today than ever.

Robert DeNiro is Travis Bickle, an ex-Marine and Vietnam War veteran living in New York City. As he suffers from insomnia, he spends his time working as a taxi driver at night…

Travis Bickle: “All the animals come out at night – whores, skunk pussies, buggers, queens, fairies, dopers, junkies, sick, venal. Someday a real rain will come and wash all this scum off the streets. I go all over. I take people to the Bronx, Brooklyn, I take ’em to Harlem. I don’t care. Don’t make no difference to me. It does to some. Some won’t even take spooks. Don’t make no difference to me.”

Here is the original theatrical trailer:

The film is a modern movie classic, a story of alienation, hatred and revenge…with some of the most searing dialogue ever written, thanks to Paul Schrader:

Robert De Niro worked twelve hour days for a month driving cabs as preparation for this role. He also studied mental illness.

“You Talkin’ To Me?”

Of course, the film is best known for this brilliant monologue: and yes, one of cinema’s greatest lines was written by DeNiro himself!

The scene where Bickle is talking to himself in the mirror was completely ad-libbed by DeNiro! The screenplay details just said, “Travis looks in the mirror.”

Travis Bickle: [Travis is trying his guns on the mirror] Huh? Huh?
[Draws]
Travis Bickle: Faster than you, fucking son of a… Saw you coming you fucking… shitheel.
[Reholsters]
Travis Bickle: I’m standing here; you make the move. You make the move. It’s your move…
[Draws]
Travis Bickle: Don’t try it you fuck.
[Reholsters]
Travis Bickle: You talkin’ to me? You talkin’ to me? You talkin’ to me? Then who the hell else are you talking… you talking to me? Well I’m the only one here. Who the fuck do you think you’re talking to? Oh yeah? OK.
[Draws]

The line “You talkin’ to me?” was voted as the #10 movie quote by the American Film Institute, and as as the #8 of “The 100 Greatest Movie Lines” by Premiere in 2007.

This film is absolutely saturated with the streets of New York – as it existed in the seedy seventies!

Taxi Driver (1976)Directed by Martin ScorseseShown from left on the set: Jodie Foster, Robert De Niro, director Martin Scorsese

The 40th anniversary screening included a conversation on stage with the movie’s principal cast and crew…it would be fascinating to hear all of them talk about what this film has meant to them, and to our culture…of course, DeNiro collaborated many times since with Director Martin Scorsese, in brilliant films like “Raging Bull” and this criminally overlooked cult classic:

The King Of Comedy!

Scorsese and DeNiro re-teamed on a dark satire that was as prescient about stardom as “Network” was about television!

Check out the trailer:

Jerry Lewis gives an amazing performance alongside DeNiro, in the story of an aspiring comic who develops a dangerous relationship with a late night Talk Show Host, played by Lewis.

A terrific new blu-ray release digs into the movie, including a great “reunion” conversation with many of the film’s participants!

In the 90’s, DeNiro showed us he could do comedy, playing a bounty hunter who just wants to get to LA by midnight Friday…against ALL odds:

Midnight Run!

This 90’s buddy comedy combined action with hilarious one-liners, and proved how adept DeNiro was at comedy:

Charles Grodin gives one of his best performances as an Accountant who steals from the mob. This classic comedy was also criminally under-appreciated upon release, but now has a great new blu-ray release as well.

DeNiro’s movie output increased noticably since the late 90’s…some were great comedic roles like “Meet The Parents”…and some were easy supporting roles like his work in “Silver Linings Playbook”.

However, look at some of these movie titles: “Showtime”, “The Fan” and “Last Vegas” are among the films of the last twenty years that show an Actor clearly working for a paycheck.

But one film stands out as the most egregious mistake he’s ever made – and one that made fans realize his days of “Raging” were over!

“Sometimes, it’s not so easy being Fearless Leader.”

The Disaster Of “The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle!”

Except for a big paycheck, it’s impossible to understand why America’s greatest Actor would make this film, based on the television cartoon “The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show”.

Check out the embarrassing trailer:

As you can see, a sad day for all concerned. The animated characters Rocky and Bullwinkle shared the screen with live actors portraying Fearless Leader (Robert De Niro), Boris Badenov (Jason Alexander), Natasha Fatale (Rene Russo).

I’m not really angry at DeNiro – everyone has the right to take a role for any reason…but it’s hard to see the monologue from “Taxi Driver” and then read this one from “Bullwinkle”:

“Have you liquidated Moose and Squirrel? Did you use the CDI? Are you talking to me? Are you talking to me? Then who else are you talking to? Are you talking to me? Well, I am the only one here, so you must be talking to me. And you are lying! Now catch Moose and Squirrel. And next time use the CDI on them.”

Yes, DeNiro’s fearless leader (Robert De Niro) actually says to Boris & Natasha “You talkin’ to me?…There’s no one else here, so you must be talking to me”.

Well, they can’t ALL be classics! As DeNiro says at one point in the film:

“Sometimes, it’s not so easy being Fearless Leader.”

Longevity in the film business is rare, so a career going on 50 years is one to applaud, even if DeNiro’s output now is spotty, to phrase it kindly. I will remember him this way:

Yes, it’s a picture of DeNiro auditioning for “The Godfather!” He missed out on the original, but was of course, Don Corleone in “Part II”…see his audition here:

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